Albus’ Summer
by Princess Gillybean
Summary: A ramble about the summer before Albus Severus goes to Hogwarts. Next Gen


_This is something I've had lying around. It doesn't really have much point as a stand alone story but it's part of my Next Gen universe so relevent to my characters. I'm posting it because I should be writing for nano and am failing drastically, but to start working on a fan fic would be giving up-which I refuse to admit I have done. _

_It's dedicated to the writers who managed to convince me the Albus isn't an evil little git who unjustly caused nearly an entire fandom to hate James and who inspired me to have a go at writing him.

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_**Albus' Summer**

By the age of eleven Albus Severus Potter had been on the front page of The Daily Prophet seventeen times, which was two more times than James and four more than Lily. Today's story was the reasonAlbus was currently sitting in the living room brooding, while his younger sister watched Bambi for the third time that week. For anyone else his age it would have been called childish sulking, but Albus had long ago perfected the art form that was angst. Their parents were in the kitchen, Harry sitting at the table finishing writing a letter and Ginny clearing the remnants of lunch, "Thanks for this Ted." She said turning to the young man lounging in the doorway as she sent the dishes off to their rightful places with the flick of her wand.

"No problem."

"Well Al's in one of his moods. He simply refused to come." She sighed, "I feel sorry for the girl who falls in love with him. He's so much like his father, thinks he he's responsible for everything, it really gets in the way of the relationship when he goes off to save the world and leaves you behind." She mock glared at her husband who'd grinned back sheepishly. "Honey I think it's all the girls who fall in love with James that need your pity."

Ginny sighed, "He is a heart breaker isn't he?"

Teddy laughed, "Not quite yet but he will be. Not that he'll ever notice, he's that wrapped up in quidditch."

"Just wait for the hormones to hit," said a voice from the fireplace. They turned to see Bill's head; "Fleur want's to know if you're still coming for dinner tonight?"

"Yes I should think so." Ginny said as she hurried over to the fireplace to speak with her brother.

"I'll go say hi to the kids." Teddy said to Harry who patted him on the shoulder, "good luck. Oh and could you tell Lily we're leaving in about 20 minutes"

Teddy sauntered into the living room, "hey guys, what are you up to?"

"Teddy!!!!!" Lily flung her self at him. He laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"It's green today! Al look it's green!" she said tugging at Teddy's hair which was indeed bright green and cut just below his ears.

"Green is a stupid colour." Albus said disparagingly.

"He's been cranky ever since the paper came." Lily confided in Teddy. "It had a picture of him and Daddy on the front. Again."

"So that's what all this is about." Teddy said carrying Lily over to the couch and sitting next to Albus with her settled on his lap.

"I like green. I wish I had green eyes."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Albus muttered, "I hate having Dad's eyes, you have no idea how lucky you are!"

"But then I wouldn't look so much like Mummy and a bit more like Daddy. And people would stop saying 'you're so much like your mother'."

"Well you can have them."

"Let's swap." Lily suggested.

"That's stupid. How are we supposed to do that?" Albus looked at his sister, the eyes in question filled with scorn.

"Enough guys!" Teddy said, "Can you try and get along?"

"Okay Teddy. Now d'you wanna watch Bambi?" Lily consented cheerfully.

"Al?" He inquired.

"Yeah fine. But please anything but Bambi."

"But I _like_ Bambi!" Lily protested

"Well I don't and you've watched it a million times already!"

"Well let's watch Sleeping Beauty."

"NO! Can't we watch a good movie for once."

"Teddy…. please can we watch Sleeping Beauty."

"Well Lily, you'll be leaving soon so perhaps let Al chose."

"No." Lily sniffed, "he likes horrible movies that scare me." Albus stuck his tongue out, "You're such a baby."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"AretootimesinfinityIwinha!" Albus said, the words spilling out in one breath. He stuck his tongue out at Lily whose eyes started to fill. Teddy sighed, "Come on Lils let's go find your mum." He picked her up and carried her over to the door, "Al if you chose a movie we can watch it once they're gone, Kay?"

Albus' dark mood seemed to have lifted after an afternoon with Teddy. He greeted James cheerful, who immediately demanded to be told why he hadn't come to the station. Albus avoided answering by asking James if Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup though he already knew the answer.

"Of course. It was so awesome. I scored 5 goals in the last match! Did I tell you? It was so cool, they don't often let 2nd years on the team just cause the older students are better but I've got serious skill."

"Yeah and your name's Potter." Albus muttered. James chose to ignore him, "So you're coming to Hogwarts with me next year little brother."

"Yeah." Albus replied, barely containing the sudden excitement at the thought.

"Well you'll probably be in Slytherin so I won't be able to talk to you much." James laughed and ran off to the kitchen.  
"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER! Do not leave your things lying in the hallway!" Ginny's voice rang through the house.

With James' return the noise in the Potter Household tripled and the volume increased tenfold. If he wasn't teasing Albus about being in Slytherin, he was telling anyone who'd listen about his achievements in Quidditch or creating mayhem with cousin Fred or turning Albus green 'to match his Slytheriny eyes'. With only a brief moments rest while he spent his annual night in St. Mungo's, both Harry and Ginny were quite glad when August drew to an end and they'd soon only have one child to contend with. Thankfully Lily was a fairly quiet child, at least when she was alone.

"IT"S NOT FAIR!" Lily screamed banging on the door, "let me in!"

"Sorry Lils this is special brothers business." James' voice came from the other side of the door.

"But it's not fair! I want to play too!!!"

"Go away!" came Albus' voice, the two brothers were in a rare moment of truce.

"Good she's gone." James said when Lily fell silent and stomped off to sulk in the kitchen.

"So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. With you and me both at Hogwarts who knows what could happen."

Albus nodded solemnly. Even though he often proclaimed the opposite he knew James was a good big brother. Now matter how much he picked on them, he never let anyone else and it was always James that woke first when Lily had her nightmares. He took care of them both, and they'd felt his absence the past year. When James had left for Hogwarts he had charged Albus with Lily's care but now what were they to do? Everything was changing and Lily would be alone.

"Maybe we could ask Hugo?"

"That won't work, he's not here all the time."

"Boys, open this door right now." Their father said, they glanced at each other not liking the tone of his voice and James hurriedly opened the door.

"Now do you want to tell me why your sister is sitting down stairs crying?"

"We needed some privacy."

"From your own sister?" Harry glared at them.

"We had to figure out what to do with her, because we'll both be at Hogwarts soon." James explained

"And there will be no one took look after her when she if she has a nightmare, or if those kids down the street start picking on her again or…" Albus trailed off

"What do you think your mother and I are here for?" Harry asked slightly amused.

They stared at him, "Why didn't we think of that?" Albus asked and James shrugged, "You'll look after her properly?" He asked his father seeming somewhat suspicious.

"James, she's my daughter. Of course I'll look after her."

"Oh right."

"But you know, Lily's quite good at taking care of herself. She can certainly handle you two."

"Yes but still…" James protested. "She's only nine, and half the time acts younger."

"Probably because you treat her like she'd still a baby. Now she'd quite upset because of you two so go make it up to her."

"Come on Salazar." James said as he headed out the door.

"I'm not going in Slytherin!" Albus responded anxiously as he followed him out.

They found her happily cutting bisciut mixture into hearts and putting them carefully on a tray.

"Yum, chocolate!" James exclaimed reaching for some mixture, Lily whacked his hand with a wooden spoon that was lying conveniently near by. "There not for you. Mummy and I are taking them over to Aunt Hermione's."

"Don't eat the mixture anyway. It's not good for you." Ginny ordered as she took a second tray out of the oven. "These are your sister's biscuits so if you ask nicely maybe she'll let you have one."

Both boys turned pleadingly to their sister who turned her nose up primly, "Sorry but it's a special girl thing. You can't have any." The commotion that ensued had Harry wandering down from his study to make sure nobody had died. He arrived on the scene in time to see Ginny running James' burnt hand under a stream of cold water while he hurriedly stuffed a stolen biscuit in his mouth. Two trays lay on the floor which was covered with broken pieces of biscuit, both cooked and uncooked. Lily was sitting on the table a very dark look on her face. She scowled at both her brothers before stalking out of the room. Albus gulped and looked at James who winced in return.

"Clean this up." Ginny ordered, once she was finished with James' hand, "Now."

"But Lily…."

"Now!" neither bothered to argue and hurriedly began picking bits of the floor.

Both James and Albus arrived at Hogwarts that year to discover all the underwear they thought was in their trunks had magically (or perhaps not so magically) disappeared and with great embarrassment had to send an urgent owl home.

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_Please tell me my total and utter obsession with James doesn't take away from the story too much…_

_You can do that when you kindly review!!!_

_Thanks :)  
_


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